Rubbing, patting, chewing & writing

'Spartacus' preems at the Regal Cinemas L.A Live

The stars of “Spartacus” cleaned up nicely — no blood or mud to be found — for the preem of Starz series’ final season.

“Spartacus: War of the Damned” unspooled Tuesday at the Regal Cinemas L.A Live, then guests traveled west to the Chateau Marmont, where they indulged in the cupcakes that had once been banned from the show’s notoriously brutal workouts. Liam McIntyre, however, admitted to liking the strict regimen: “It was really weird, when I finally had a boiled chicken breast again something in my taste buds went, ‘That was amazing,’ and I went, ‘What have you done to me Spartacus?'”

Creator and exec producerSteven S. DeKnight said he’ll miss writing in the show’s odd language. But he won’t miss the effort it took: “It’s Shakespeare meets Robert E. Howard, who did ‘Conan the Barbarian.’ It’s a pain in the ass to write that way, it is not natural….it was constantly rubbing your belly, patting your head, chewing gum and riding a unicycle all at the same time.”